


Arachnophobia

by glowingbluesketches



Category: Spider-Man (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Angst, Cliffhangers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Post-Spider Man (Video Game 2018), Redemption, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-07-20 19:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16143854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glowingbluesketches/pseuds/glowingbluesketches
Summary: When Leah Todd is targeted by Oscorp, she runs to F.E.A.S.T for protection. But life in the city becomes harder day by day as many of the villains locked in the Raft disappear, a new villain calling himself the 'Green Goblin' joins the party and Mayor Norman Osborn places a curfew on the inhabitants of New York. Homeless and alone, Leah teams up with Spider-Man to stop Oscorp and the Green Goblin, all while uncovering her family history and what actually lays hidden in her DNA.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Well, after playing the new Spider-Man, falling in love with both Peter Parker and MJ (damn it, Insomniac!) watching the Jungle Book and eating a lot of junk food, my brain cooked up this plot of a story. Don't worry, it does have a plot.
> 
> More characters will be added to the 'Character tag' soon, just once I've sorted when they appear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed that this chapter has popped up before the first originally posted one. Well I went back and added a chapter BEFORE what would be the next one, to fill in some blanks and give you some Peter before his initial appearance. So, surprise?

_Manhattan, New York, 10:22 p.m._  
_October 1st, 2019_

 

 

Peter rolled his neck in a circle, awaiting the imminent crack.

He hardly warmed up before throwing on the suit, it was a thing he just didn't do or even thought about doing it before he left, even though MJ constantly reminded him to.

Well,  _had_ constantly reminded him.

Peter closed his eyes, and his grip on his mask tightened.

It had been inevitable; when MJ had mentioned a possible job promotion in her field at another agency nearly seven months ago, in March, a mere two months after getting back together, Peter knew that there was a chance she would receive it.

She was the best in the Investigative Reporter field, if there was even one, sticking her nose into other people's business. A knack that she had, quietly literally, a talent for since childhood.

It wasn't a slight against her, she had helped him so many times because she was just doing her job. It had just made her good at what she did.

Another part of him said she had just been promoted, and it would be rather unlikely for them to promote her again so soon after her last one.

Then, when a month went by, MJ had burst into Mick's buzzing with news.

She had been given the promotion, in  _London_.

In another country.

Far away from him.

He had been expecting something close by, or in another state where they could visit each other whenever they wanted. Not a whole 'nother continent!

It had been a hard few days after, both of them trying to figure out what to do. It had been MJ who had suggested it; the two of them breaking up. They couldn't handle a long distance relationship, she knew that much.

He often wondered if she didn't know if she could, or she was very confident in the matter that  _he_  couldn't.

They hadn't talked since June, when she had gushed about her new apartment and co-workers and  _her own office_ as he listened, so he would never find out the answer.

The last time he had checked, her social media photos had included a woman that appeared in a majority of them, starting two months ago; in MJ's apartment, in her apartment, in front of Big Ben, on the London Eye, in the city's National History Museum.

MJ called her Alix.

Peter didn't have to be told directly what was going on, he could take a guess just by their body language and how they talked about each other in their captions or statuses.

He was happy for her; she seemed so happy. In New York, with everything that went on last year and even the many years before...she deserved happiness.

Her life had been shit, and now one of her best friends was ill and missing and the other one was a superhero who risked his life every day to protect the citizens of New York.

She deserved someone who was, well, _normal._

Someone who had not been bitten by a radioactive spider on a field trip when they were 15 and received superpowers because of it.

The last time they had seen each other face to face, the last time they had kissed, she had made him promise to call him with news on Harry and when he got news, to call her straight away and if she needed too, she would fly out there so quickly it was like she hadn't been gone at all.

He sighed and pulled on his mask, jumping off the rooftop of the F.E.A.S.T shelter and into the darkened streets of New York, the only light source being from still open stores and streetlights.

He blinked, drowning out the sound of the police sirens in the distance as he listened to his police scanner.

That's when a man's voice started to shout angrily from an alleyway below.

Peter wasted no time.

Unafraid of the height, he dived down, eyes narrowing at the situation.

A man dressed in all black was running in the shadows, followed swiftly behind by someone who was clearly not a friend.

The enraged spitting of a language Peter didn't understand was thrown back and forth between the two men, even when the man in black decided to turn around and take on his pursuer.

It didn't matter in the long run, as his assaulter flashed a concealed knife and dragged it along the man's neck with such precision it left him still alive, but bleeding quickly.

The man choked, a hand flying toward the wound, giving his attacker ample time to take something out of his pocket and and kick him down.

Peter landed behind him.

"Hey!"

He turned around, eyes narrowed in preparation to see who had interrupted him.

Before he could make out the red, blue and white figure behind him Peter had already roundhouse kicked him so hard he flung backwards like a ragdoll.

He slammed into a dumpster, leaving a tiny but noticeable dent in the metal, but it didn't seem to stop him from jumping back on his feet again, teeth bared.

"Spider-Man," he spat, like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

"Mystery man," he replied. His eyes were covered with goggles with yellow lenses, leaving only the bottom portion of his face viewable.

"Didn't your mother never teach you to mind your own business?" he spat all of this in English rather then the language he had been spewing before to the now gasping man on the ground.

"Wouldn't know, mine didn't live long enough to teach me that rule of etiquette. Who are you?" Peter demanded.

"I could ask the same to you," was his response.

Peter sighed, he wasn't getting anywhere.

"Who are you working for?" he changed tactics.

Not wasting a second on pointless chatter, the man rushed forward.

He swung his knife at Peter's torso but he deflected easily. Peter's spider senses caught his other arm throwing a punch at his collarbone and with a flick of his wrist, knocked it away, giving him time to jump back and and fire his web shooters at his own torso, hoping to web him and stop his movements.

What surprised him was the clear dodge the man did, making the webs miss him easily, and in his shock Peter missed the knee expertly lifted coming straight for his abdomen.

Peter doubled over as the wind got knocked out of him.

His vision went dizzy, and he swayed on the spot.

The man, seeing his advantage, pulled back and threw a punch at his stomach. He grit his teeth as the wave of pain that shot through him.

As he coughed, Peter thought of his lack of practice he had lately.

Once he had became Spider-Man nearly nine years ago, he had began to go to the gym and take gymnastics again, to keep in shape. It had helped improve his strength and cardio, but recently with keeping F.E.A.S.T from closing (with thanks to the Mayor for donating money as a favor to 'Harry's oldest friend') and helping Miles with his own training, he had been seriously messing up his dexterity.

Taking the one-second window as the assaulter readied himself for the next punch, Peter bent his knees and threw his chest back.

He watched the fist narrowly miss his head but didn't wait for him to gather his bearings.

He threw one hand behind him onto the ground and sent a roundhouse kick into his opponent's legs, followed swiftly with one straight to the stomach.

The minute he buckled, Peter sprang back up and delivered a set of punches of his own.

He had the man backing up, but Peter was not ready for the flare he pulled out his pocket and pulled.

The light blinded him temporarily, and he backed up himself and covered his eyes.

He was  _not_  expecting a flare.

He ripped of his mask to rub at his eyes, the black spots slowly fading away and when his vision was clear, he looked up.

The man was gone with whatever he took from the still choking man on the floor.

Peter sighed angrily. He didn't have time to brood or chase after his opponent, not with a man coughing on his blood as he died out on the floor.

He wiped at his bloody lip and pulled himself over to him, dropping to his knees next to him as he assessed the damage.

The man-who seemed to be in his mind forties, if he was correct-wasn't wearing a mask or anything to cover his face, and unlike the professional clothing his opponent had on this man was wearing a trenchcoat, and was currently patting his pocket fearfully.

His blue eyes were wide, but not for himself.

"He-took-i-it!" he sputtered. "The-addr'-ss-"

"Look at me, sir. What did he take?" Peter asked.

He ignored him, patting his pockets.

"Th-cap-! Ne-eed to w'n the-cap-!" that's when he gasped, staring at the spider on his suit. It seemed to spur something in him, as he latched a hand around Peter's wrist. "H-r-!" he raised his other hand, and dropped a crumpled note onto his lap. "Took i-it e'rl'r-!"

Peter picked it up and gingerly opened the folded piece of paper.

It had been ripped from an official document, he could tell from the texture, and written in text were the words:

_TARGET LOCATED: **L** AUNCH OP **E** R **A** TION DEAT **H**._

The ink began to smudge from the rain, and he noticed curiously that some of the words were in bold, and were taking much longer to wash away like the others.

"Operation-? What's Operation Death?"

With a title like that, he knew it wasn't good.

The man didn't seem to know himself, gasping and choking for air, his eyes still wide.

Peter didn't know if he was scared to die or if he was worried about whoever he was trying to protect. His eyes caught sight of something around the man's neck, a symbol of sorts, but when he went to lift it up to take a closer inspection- _because he recognized it from somewhere he just didn't know where_ -the man just...stopped.

He stopped, and took a good luck at Peter's face in the moonlight, now that the moon wasn't obscured by the building above.

His dull eyes widened, and he gasped for breathe.

"I kn-...kno-y-!"

"You know me?" Peter didn't recognize the man at all, but he seemed convinced. He had that look in his eyes, like he had been thrown back in time just by seeing his face. "Have we met before?"

"Y'u-" he coughed again, and blood spluttered against his uniform and Peter's suit. It didn't seem to matter, as the rain began to wash it out. "Y'ur-"

"What? What about me, sir?" Peter asked.

He wasn't fully there, his throat had just been slit and he was dying, so it was possible he was mixing him up with someone else he knew. It happened close to death, especially when the victim was in serious condition, when their mind was delirious.

But the look in his eyes, hidden behind his fear, was pure, absolute certainly.

The man chuckled, a small smile on his face.

At least Peter could give him that.

"No-n't y'u-"

He sighed, and looked up above him, at the moon and the stars that could be visible in the polluted New York City sky. A sheen slowly covered his eyes, leaving them foggy and grey, and his last breathe left him.

He wasn't in there anymore.

Peter sighed, and closed the man's eyes. It came with the price of being a superhero, he couldn't save everyone.

He stood up from his kneeling position, before freezing half way up.

The necklace. He had to take the necklace.

He didn't know why, but he had seen it before and he needed to know where it had come from, before he called an ambulance to report the body and it would be buried with him.

He leaned down and tugged the necklace off, and shoving the piece of paper and necklace in the pocket he kept his phone, Peter donned his mask once again and headed for the rooftops, calling the authorities as he did, an anonymous caller to keep his identity a secret.

And as Peter zipped through the city, fully prepared to warn Miles and Yuri of what he felt in his bones was coming, he still didn't know who he was.


	2. And Here We Go

_Four Weeks Later_  
_Leah's apartment, Queens, New York City  
November 4th_

_7: 37 p.m._

 

 

"Hello?"

She wasn't expecting a verbal answer, she lived alone of course, but the jingle of a bell and the fast almost silent padding of paws against the wooden floor in her kitchen did answer to her call.

A loud meow erupted from her Siamese cat, Sena, as she rushed towards her owner and rubbed herself against her legs.

With one hand wrapped around a small blue suitcase, she lifted her sunglasses off her face and smiled down at her pet.

She was wearing her most comfortable yet suitable attire; a baggy purple jumper with the image of a frog written on it, white shorts and purple sneakers.

Her dress ensemble looked more like she was 17, but 22 year old Leah Todd was anything but.

"Hi there!" she cooed, bending down and letting go of her suitcase to stroke her purring cat. "I've missed you so much! I hope Miss Thornton looked after you properly."

Sena meowed in response and she smiled. "It's about time for your dinner, although I'm starting to think you don't need it. How much has she been feeding you?"

She stood back up and watched her cat run back into the kitchen, and Leah laughed and shook her head.

"Greedy little kitty." she whispered, shrugging off her backpack and leaving it next to the front door like always before wheeling her suitcase into her room down the hall.

If she was any other person, she wouldn't have been able to afford this apartment at least until five years into her job, but the inheritance her father had left her covered the cost of the apartment and her entire life until she died, but she could never find out where Luke Todd had gotten so much money.

She wouldn't call her childhood spoiled, actually her father was very strict in that regards, but he hadn't worked from what Leah gathered.

She always assumed he worked at home; her father had an office which he had spent most of his time inside, writing emails and doing what she had assumed was work.

It must have been a well paying job, if he rarely left home.

Her room was exactly as she had left it; her beanbags her friends usually sat on when they slept over were still in their place on a rug in the corner of the room near the window.

The white doors leading to her own office (another brown pair leading out into the hallway) were locked tight, and the canopy sheets blew in the light breeze when she climbed onto the window seat, threw open the curtains and opened her window slightly to let some Manhattan air inside.

Sena's constant meowing made her chuckle and she left her room after leaving her suitcase at the foot of her bed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Leah practically jogged to the kitchen to feed her cat before she began to screech. Miss Thornton wouldn't have minded, but her other neighbor would have complained to the landlord  _again_. Fuck that guy.

She pulled out an unopened tin of cat food and went to work feeding her hungry cat, who sat right next to her on the kitchen counter, watching her with narrow eyes.

The last time Sena hadn't watched her, Leah had accidentally dropped the food onto the floor and Sena, because she was a proper lady apparently, refused to eat it after that. Leah had to waste another tin on her, grumbling curse words under her breath as her cat lay over her shoulder, watching her every step.

Sometimes she thought Sena was a human trapped in a cat body, with the way she acted.

"There you go." she scraped the contents into her bowl with a fork. Her cat meowed and jumped off the counter, beginning to eat the food as Leah rolled her eyes, amused. "You're welcome."

She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head at her cat, who was content to ignore her.

As she watched her, the white noise in her apartment became more prominent.

And so did the beeping.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Leah looked up, straining her ears to listen for the sound again.

_..._

Nothing.

"God, imagination acting all crazy again." she said, sparing a quick glance at the fire alarm on the ceiling.

It didn't sound like it had been coming from there though, but she didn't mind sparing a look.

Nothing. Huh.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she checked the message;  _If you're home. Skype. Now._

A laugh left her throat and after appropriately binning the tin so she could take the trash out later, she left for her room to take out her laptop from it's case.

Covered in stickers-some from different corners of the world, some from here in her home of New York-her Apple laptop was her baby.

She never left home with it if she could help it. She couldn't drag around her computer, which she did most of her work, so her laptop had to do.

It was a gift given to her by her father, on their last Christmas together, so it was very personal and special to her.

Taking out the laptop that meant a lot to her, she sat on her bed and opened the cover, turning it on and bringing up Skype the first chance she got.

The group chat named  _'The Three Musketeers (and Taylor I Guess)'_  was at the top of the list, and she connected her video camera to the chat. Immediately, or after a few minutes, three videos of her three friends appeared.

Their faces erupted in excitement.

"LEAHHH!"

The high pitched screams could, and most likely, be heard by most of the inhabitants of the building in Leah's apartment.

She winced, knowing that her neighbor would definitely complain to the landlord. So extra fuck that guy.

"Hollah!" she waved.

"Ew, don't say that ever again." one of the girls said as Leah found herself suddenly verbally tackled by Taylor, the youngest.

"Leah, Anna is shit at braiding hair, and applying make-up to other people!"

"I am not!" a little thump on a carpeted floor told everyone in the call that Anna had stomped her foot and Taylor, much like a small child, stuck her tongue out at her camera.

"Girls, give her some digital space! She just got off a cramped plane!" Emily, the most mature and second eldest of the four said. "Your neighbor told me Sena needed to go the the vet a few days ago, nothing serious just  _someone_ -" her eyes flickered down to where a sheepish looking Taylor would be on her screen, "-left a small box of chocolates on the kitchen counter."

"She's all right though!" Taylor insisted, and Leah smiled. "That is one formidable cat."

It was true; Leah had Sena since babyhood, and although her creamy fur was nearly engulfed in white and grey, she was as strong as ever. Many vets were impressed with her lifespan and the fact that only her fur showed her age; she looked young and vibrant, like she was still a kitten.

"How was your flight?" Emily inquired.

Leah forced a smile. "It was all right."

The flight had been fine; it was the walk through J.F.K International Airport that had been a struggle though. Like it always was when she traveled.

"What strange eyes..." an old woman had mumbled.

"Why is she wearing contacts?" one man asked his partner.

Leah had been graced with being born with green eyes; it wouldn't have been so strange, 2% of the world possessed that eye colour, if it wasn't for the fact that they were a bright emerald, like they had been plucked from a fairy tale or straight from the gem itself.

They somehow worked with her tanned skin and black hair, although the abnormally of them was the envy and oddity of everyone around her.

Just another thing to add to the strange concoction that was Leah Todd.

"So how was Norway?" Anna asked, sensing her distress, being the most sensitive and emotional of the girls.

"Surprisingly hot and exhausting but so much fun!" she flashed them a blinding white grin. "My final international lecture for the year! Now I can watch movies, eat pizza and hang out with my sisters!"

"Oh, that reminds me!" Taylor clapped her hands giddily. "Emily suggested we could go to and get some pizza to celebrate your return tomorrow!"

"Ah, the best pizza in New York City?" Leah laughed. "Sounds fun."

"I also said we could go another day as you may have serious jetlag." Emily cut in, frowning at the image of Taylor on her laptop before throwing a smile at Leah.

Leah shook her head. "No, no. Tomorrow sounds great, I could meet you up when I finish unpacking. Wait, let me get changed into comfortable clothing before we continue talking." she got up and made the laptop face the wall as she headed for her wardrobe to change into pajamas.

The first thing she did once her clothes off was throw them into the hamper, leaving her standing naked in her room.

She hummed and listened to her friends conversation as she dressed into a sleeveless pale green top and panties, before climbing back into bed.

"So what was this about the F.E.A.S.T Center?" she began.

"Oh yeah! So my mother asked me to drop off some vegetables there for her, and this really hot guy who works there-I think his aunt used to run the place-answered the back door, and I just stood there petrified because he was drop dead gorgeous, guys, I'm telling you. Anyway-" as Taylor went on and on, Leah listened.

She caught Emily rolling her eyes, clicking her tongue as Taylor rambled.

 _(Japanese) "What drugs is this girl taking?"_ she quipped, and Leah grinned.

"It's rude to speak a language other people in the conversation can't understand, _Emily!_ " Taylor snapped at her, and she stuck her tongue out at her, copying her action from before then sticking her middle finger at the camera.

 _(Japanese) "Go fuck yourself."_   she said.

 _(French) "Right back 'atcha."_ Taylor crossed her arms and turned her head away from her screen.

 _(German) "I have no idea what you're all saying. Leah translate!"_ Anna begged, hands clasped and pleading, and Leah laughed.

She had to live with a lot things; weird eyes and her crazy flying commitments. But the craziest thing was that she was multilingual; kinda.

Leah could naturally understand every language around her; verbal or written, she knew what you were saying.

It did have some limits, she couldn't speak the language unless she learned it from a book or a teacher like everyone else, but she did have a proficiency for learning it. The only languages she had fully learned were English (obviously), Norwegian (her mother's home language) and French.

When she began to attend private school at the age of 11 her knowledge of languages was kept a secret, except for the ones she could actually speak.

Her caretakers had tried to give her a normal life when her father had died, as per his wishes.

So that meant hiding the 'understanding every language' part of her.

"I would have if you had spoken English and not German to spite them." she tutted and watched the three amused as they began to argue in their first languages, not even being able to understand once another.

Leah crossed her arms and listened.

And she really listened.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Leah froze.

There it was again! That excessive beeping! But this time it was coming from her room, or it was...

Or it was coming from everywhere.

"One moment." she whispered, eyes wide with fear.

The three women caught onto her quick change in emotion rather quickly, and began to ask if she was all right when she placed her laptop to the side and stood back up.

Now she really paid attention.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

There!

It was coming from behind her wardrobe, through the wall. But nothing was on the other side except for her neighbor's place, and she could hear the beeping in the kitchen which was on the opposite side of the apartment and no where near her room, so...

It was coming from  _inside_  the wall.

Leah cautiously stepped towards her wardrobe, and looked to the empty space tucked into the corner where a chest of drawers had once stood before she threw it out when it began to literally fall apart.

The lavender wallpaper didn't look to have been changed, until she saw it.

A small line leading up from the bottom of the wallpaper before turning left and disappearing behind the wardrobe. It had been sliced open by someone.

She immediately felt sick; someone had been in her apartment without her knowledge.

Miss Thornton, Emily, Anna and Taylor were the only ones to come in over the past two weeks when she had been lecturing in Norway as a guest, and she trusted them all enough not to come into her room and plant something into the wall.

"Leah, what's wrong?" Taylor practically yelled and Leah jumped.

"Th-..." she choked on her own words, "-Th-r-'s-"

Emily immediately jumped at the sound of her stuttering. "Leah, breathe."

"Someone's in my wall." she gulped. "Someone came into my room and implanted something in my  _fucking_  wall."

Silence.

Then all hell broke loose.

_"What?!"_

"Oh my god!"

"Leah you have to get out of there!"

Leah's heart told her to do the exact opposite, and foolishly, that is who she listened too. "Not yet."

"Are you insane?!" was Emily's reply but she ignored her to push the wardrobe out of the way and peel back the wallpaper.

The wall was hollow, like someone had taken a chunk out of it to place something inside, and dread slowly filled her heart.

Her eyes widened. The red lights flickered, and the numbers below the sign belonging to the company owned by the Mayor himself were counting down.

_OSCORP_

_2:47_

_2:48_

A bomb. It was a fucking bomb.

Someone had broke into her apartment, vandalized her room-and most likely other parts of her apartment, if the beeping in the kitchen had anything to go by-and planted a bomb  _into her wall._

A bomb that would explode in nearly four minutes.

_Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Crap._

"Sena!" she yelled, jumping up from her crouched position and running to her luggage. "SENA!"

She could hear her cat meow in reply in the kitchen, and now knowing where she was in the apartment, Leah practically ripped open her suitcase and pulled out a jacket and trousers, throwing them on in a haste to get out of the building.

Her sneakers were next, but she didn't even bother lacing them up properly as she ripped open her bedroom door and sprinted down the hallway, where her backpack containing money, phone, her credit cards, ID and everything she would need to legally claim to be who she was, was located.

_1:21_

_1:20_

Sena popped out of the kitchen as she past, clearly annoyed by the sudden interruption of her meal, and Leah scooped up the shocked cat as she reached for her backpack. "We've got to go, Sena!"

On any other day, Sena would have cried and screamed in her cat way to be released and allowed to roam the apartment doing as she pleased, not giving a damn about if she was about to die or not, but sensing the urgency and fear in her owner's voice made her calmly and quietly allow to be manhandled.

Cats were smart like that.

Throwing her backpack over one shoulder, she unlocked her front door and ran out into the hallway.

The fire alarm was right next to the stairs, if she could reach that and pull it, she could evacuate the entire building.

No one would get hurt and no lives would be lost.

She didn't know how big the bomb would be, but it could potentially destroy her apartment and maybe even injure anyone living below or above.

She couldn't risk being the reason why people nearly died.

Not even bothering to shut her door properly, she rushed to the stairs and pulled the fire alarm with one hand, keeping the other securely locked around her cat.

The loud high-pitched beeping filled hallway after hallway, and she could hear doors opening and closing, the shouting of confused and scared residents, and the pounding of feet on the floor.

_0:36_

_0:35_

Leah threw open the doors leading out of the apartment complex and jumped down the steps leading to the building, running across the street, both arms wrapped around her cat as her bell on her collar jingled.

Drivers honked their horns but she ignored them as she sprinted, ducking into an alleyway just down the street.

Heart racing and her legs shaking from the strain, she threw her back against the wall and slithered down, landing on the cold floor.

The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon when an explosion sounded right where her apartment had been nearly thirty seconds later.

She peeped around the corner, and her heart broke.

The residents of the building were all safe, that much was clear, but they were pointing up at her window where her apartment-and bedroom-would have been.

You could see into her apartment, and ultimately her bedroom and corridor, because of the size of the blast.

The window was completely gone, including most of the brick wall, and the possessions usually found in her room and the hallway were strewn across the floor-furniture broken, photo frames smashed.

The blast wasn't big enough to kill her, but it would have injured her in some shape or form.

What had also caught her attention, to her horror, was the small group of people in armor appearing from the rooftops and using ropes to lower themselves over the side of the building and into her apartment.

She recognized them immediately; Sable International.

The very organisation that worked for the Mayor, and ultimately Oscorp.

They appeared again suddenly, empty handed, with one of them talking frantically into a headpiece.

She had no idea what they were saying, but it made them disperse just before the fire fighters and police arrived.

Oscorp had planted a bomb in her apartment, set it off and had done it without anything to show for it?

What were they looking for?

She knew the answer, of course, but accepting it wouldn't be easy even though deep down she knew the truth.

"I've just got back." she whimpered sadly.

_But that was their plan, wasn't it?_


	3. The Birth of Helena Donovan

_Manhattan, New York_

  
_7:32 a.m._

 

 

 

If Leah had a bucket list, sleeping in an alleyway in the cold would not be top of her list, let me tell you that.

After walking far away as possible from her apartment, now quarantined by the local precinct and Sable International-the ones who had caused the mess in the first place, those bastards-she had found a store to buy and stock up on the necessary products and essentials she needed, including cat food, before heading to find the safest alleyway in a safe looking neighborhood to sleep inside. Which just so happened to be in Manhattan, a borough away from Queens.

Trailing right behind her or beside her was Sena, who refused to leave her sight.

Maybe because she hadn't been outside before, because in New York she had to be a house cat to survive, or because her owner was the one responsible for looking after her and had her food.

Because hunting mice and rats were for peasant cats, apparently.

Leah wished, prayed even, that the cold didn't bother her but it did.

She craved warmth, and being in the cold really made her sad and grumpy.

Sena hated it as well, climbing inside her shirt and jacket to sleep that night.

Then, to make matters even worse (and colder), it had began to rain in the middle of the night, leaving her drenched.

Leah woke up the next morning, curled up against the wall of some pizza restaurant, her clothes crinkly from drying, and Sena meowing in her ear for food.

She then spent the start of the morning with her back to the wall, knees pulled up to her chest, hand held out full of cat biscuits because that damn cat refused to eat from the box or the floor and needed something or someone to hold them for her. Her own stomach was growling for food, but her cat refused to wait and so had to be fed first.

She was definitely spoiled.

"Now I can get food for myself, stay here if you want." she pulled herself up to her feet, grabbing her backpack from the floor and throwing it over her shoulders as she walked out of the alleyway.

Sena meowed and followed, jumping onto a dumpster and sitting down before meowing once more.

"What?" Leah stopped and looked at her pet.

It looked weird to be talking to an animal like she was a human in the middle of the busiest city in the world, but her whole life has been turned upside down in the span of a few hours and she couldn't give a shit.

There were stranger things in New York.

Sena meowed again.

"I'll come straight back out, I won't leave you just wait right there." she rolled her eyes and walked down the street, leaving her cat to wait patiently on the dumpster.

A cafe was nearby, she remembered from last night, that she could get a bite to eat and something to drink.

Then after that, well she didn't know.

She could go back to the house outside of New York, the home she had been raised in her entire life like a princess, but if Oscorp could find her apartment they surely could find 'the Palace', as she had called it in her youth.

Another option was calling her Aunt Catherine and informing her of her situation, but she was currently deep in the Congo rainforest and most likely did not have the best signal.

Then there was the matter of her phone.

Oscorp was run by the  _mayor_  of New York City. They could easily track her phone if she turned it on and find her before noon.

She had to get rid of it; no contacting the authorities (like she even could), no contacting friends and most importantly, family members (regardless if she technically had no family left and Aunt Catherine was an honorary aunt and not actually related by marriage or blood).

She would find the nearest dumpster and destroy it there, then separate it as she walked. Simple.

Then she would heard to F.E.A.S.T, the shelter that somehow was still running after the Martin Li fiasco last year.

It was in the papers that it had been given money by Mayor Osborn himself, and if Leah had learned anything from TV it's that hiding right under the nose of whoever's after you always works.

But this wasn't a movie, and she was pretty recognizable thanks to her pitch black hair and neon-esque green eyes.

Hair-dye and colored contacts was next on her list.

She already had the latter in her bag, the teasing in her youth caused by the jealous and envious made her by colored lenses when she was fifteen, after begging her father for weeks.

She had a few pairs of maple brown contacts at the bottom of her backpack, which she had packed for her Norway trip in case she needed to put them in so as to hide her actual eye color from the populace.

All she needed was hair dye.

Leah pushed open the door to the cafe, noticing that no one paid attention to her at all; it was half full of tired people ready to head to work, or already there. God, she missed her job already.

She worked at the local museum as a curator, and was in charge of the collections and the interpretation of the heritage material, with a few trips to universities in America and abroad as a guest lecturer.

She enjoyed it as that was she had inspired to do since she was a child, looking at the history and past of the world, and because her father and private tutors pushed her to do it the minute they found out. So maybe a part of her was kind of forced to take that route, and she often wondered what it would be like to have her own life and take something _she_ had liked. With a secret smile, Leah thought about the dream she had on the plane earlier about being a historian who solved crimes for the police.

Leah laughed to herself.

She realized that maybe she had spent too much time sneaking across the campus to visit the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice that Empire State University, her alumni, was known for and funded by Oscorp, like most universities were.

Her smile quickly turned into a frown.

Oscorp was a powerful and successful organisation that should be focused on building robotics. So why were they after her?

Why?!

Why was Leah Todd, a virtually unimportant woman on the entire earth, now so special?

The only special thing about her was her eyes and the fact she could read multiple languages without being taught. She could understand sign language for gods sake!

Did they want her to be their companies translator or something?

Nothing made sense.

"Good morning honey, how can I help you?" the barista, an older woman who's hair was nearly completely grey, asked as Leah approached the counter.

"Can I get a small hot chocolate and a bagel to go please?" she replied, already rummaging through her bag for her purse.

She mentally thanked Emily for half forcing-half persuading her to buy this small but very useful backpack.

"That'll be $9.49, love." 'Helen', as the name tag called her, said, placing her order on the counter.

Leah handed her a $20 and placed her order into her backpack (keeping the hot chocolate in a small pouch on the side of her backpack made for drinks) and then took the change, saying a quick goodbye to the barista and walking back out into the crowded streets of New York.

Immediately, like a woman on a mission, she turned right and continued down the street to the nearest convenience store.

It was practically empty when she walked in, and the teenage cashier was leaning against the counter typing furiously on his phone and blowing bubbles with the gum in his mouth.

She ignored him and headed straight for the hairdye, grabbing three boxes of  _L'Oreal Excellence HiColor HiLights for Dark Hair Only in Red_ , a box of  _L'Oreal Excellence HiColor Reds for Dark Hair Only in H8_  (to make the red coppery), a bottle of 40 volume developer, Vaseline, a wide toothed comb, non-metal hair clips and a handful of packets of Ion deep conditioner and headed straight for the counter.

The teenager didn't even look up as he placed his phone down, rang her purchases and asked for the money.

She slammed the exact amount down and placed everything into her backpack before quickly leaving, not even sparing a glance back. She had to be quick, or her cat would meow at her constantly as if she was scolding her.

To get to the F.E.A.S.T center she had to go back the way she came, giving her ample opportunity to collect Sena on her way there.

"Then I can use the center's bathroom to dye my hair." she muttered to herself, swiftly turning on her heels and walking back down the street, past the cafe and towards the alley she had left Sena in.

She didn't have to look inside and call for her cat, because Sena was exactly where she had left her, sitting poised and still on the exact dumpster.

Leah smiled, noticing the looks passing people were giving the animal as they walked by.

"Sena!" she called and the cat meowed in response, jumping from the dumpster and onto her shoulders, draping across them as elegantly as she could.

She couldn't help the grin that crept on her face as she walked to the F.E.A.S.T center with her cat draped over her like she was a queen. She was delighted in the faltering of steps and the halt of people as they turned their heads to watch her walk.

Like a boss, she reached behind her and grabbed her hot chocolate, pulling out and taking a sip of the liquid.

The taste parched her a little, and she felt infinitely better.

She loved everything chocolate was in. The smell, the taste...

Hot chocolate especially. Whenever she had been ill, down in the dumps, or just wanting to drink it it made her feel so much better. Stronger, even.

Most cafes, or none, didn't sell  _good_ hot chocolate so she had to make do. Which was okay, because the one she had now was delicious, but if she didn't get her non-chocolate liquid fix soon...

Well, it calmed her anxiety.

The center, nestled between tall apartment buildings and practically hidden from a birds eye view if you weren't actively looking for it, was a bit bigger then she imagined.

The giant sign, all of it colored silver, read;

 _F.E.A.S.T_  
_Food Emergency and Shelter Training_

The 'A' also had a little house carved into it, which she found kind of adorable.

She smiled at the sign before glancing at Sena who was still draped over her shoulder.

"Okay, in the backpack." she said, shrugging it off and opening it wide enough for her cat to climb inside. "Touch that bagel and I'll place  _you_  in a shelter."

Sena meowed in response and jumped in, and turned around so she was comfortable sitting on everything. Leah zipped up her backpack, leaving a little hole so she could breathe, and placed it back on before crossing the street.

A few of the inhabitants were sat on benches outside, and as she walked up the stairs gave her a lingering look before turning away. She pursed her lips in response before opening one of the double doors and stepping inside.

Immediately she was hit with something she had taken for granted in the past; heat.

The warmth circled her body and caused her muscles to relax. It felt so good that Sena began to purr, and Leah could feel the rumbling against her back.

"Shh," she half-meant as someone passed her, giving her a strange look at the noise he could hear coming from her direction.

She just smiled, hoping he would ignore her and continue on his way.

God, did the heat feel good.

A much more simpler sign was hung over the double doors leading to the main hall. A white banner painted blue reading 'Welcome to F.E.A.S.T'.

At the reception desk was a woman, typing at a computer, and when Leah took a few steps towards the desk she looked up and smiled.

"Hello dear," she greeted. "You must be new here; I haven't seen you before. Are you here to sign in?"

"Uh, yeah..." Leah trailed off, not even looking in her direction. She didn't want to freak her out or cause her to ingrain the memory of her eyes into her brain. "Can I quickly use the bathroom before I-...sign in?"

The woman smiled. "Of course dear, down the hall to your left."

"Thank you, and uh...do you have these things?"

The receptionist raised an eyebrow at her as she began to list what she needed to dye her hair, and after a quick disappearing act she came back with one non-metal mixing bowl, an applicator brush, a measuring cup and some latex gloves.

She took them with a smile, throwing a quick 'thank you' in her direction.

Then she was off down the hall before the receptionist could even open her mouth.

The moment she saw the door to the ladies room she sped up and marched in, using her shoulder to push open the door and

No one was inside, giving her total privacy, so she began taking the hair products and the container holding the contacts as fast as she could out of her backpack before shrugging off her jacket and leaving her in the pajama top she had put on the day before.

Sena jumped out and onto the sinks, watching her owner begin the slow process of dying her hair.

The hair dye products she had bought were notorious for being able to allow dark haired people like herself the ability to dye their hair any colour they want without bleaching it first. It ruined hair, so companies altered or changed their formulas.

Now, Leah could dye her hair red without losing it's original colour through bleaching.

The process was painstakingly slow, with her requiring to fit her entire head into the sink so she could wash out the remaining dye and then squeezing out the water to help her hair dry quicker, unintentionally covering the base of the sink and taps in diluted red hair dye.

But sooner or later, her strands began to change from a pure black to a coppery red.

Then finally, it was done. Her hair, from the tips to the root, was now a completely different colour. A rich, vibrant red which kind of reminded her of Ariel from the Little Mermaid.

Sena meowed, and Leah smiled at her.

"Looks strange, huh? Or do you approve?" she stepped back and did a spin, smiling a little. "Now, the finishing touch."

The container holding her colored contacts was caked in drying hair dye, and Leah thanked whoever was up there for not possessing her to leave it open in preparation.

She cracked it open and looked inside.

There were about seven pairs of colored contacts left from a pack of ten. She went straight for the nearest pair, slowly and carefully placing them one by one into her eyes, covering the bright emerald green with a warm maple brown.

She blinked rapidly before closing the container.

Sena meowed at the change, and Leah smiled-because every time she wore contacts, for Halloween or no, she always reacted like that-before slowly raising her head.

She looked in the mirror, at her new red hair and brown eyes, and just like that, she was a completely different person.

She wasn't Leah Todd, 22 year old museum curator. She couldn't be, not now, not until whatever was going on was over.

Now she was...well, she didn't know. She had to decide an alias and soon; she couldn't very well sign in as 'Leah Todd', not when Sable International and Oscorp were on the hunt for her.

"Okay..." she smiled, pulling off her pajama shirt and using that-because it was already ruined anyway-to clean the sink and wherever she had dropped red dye on the floor. Then she placed what she wanted to keep in the bag and throwing the rest in the bathroom's trash can. "Sena, back in the bag."

Her cat obliged, climbing in with much more space then before, and Leah zipped close the bag (yet again, leaving it a little bit open to give her some air) then shrugged it on.

She remembered to put her pajama shirt-the only thing she actually had-and the jacket back on before leaving, carrying the things she had borrowed to take them back to the reception desk.

She had cleaned them as much as she could, but they really needed to be put in a dishwasher.

Except for the gloves, they went in the trash can.

Helen smiled as she approached, and smiled even wider when she noticed the hair change. "Ah, that explains it. Ready for Christmas?"

"Of course!" Leah nervously giggled. She did not think about that; now that she knew she could use that as an excuse.

"Put them down here, dear." Helen patted the counter. "I'll take them back in a moment."

Leah placed them down, smiling apologetically and ready to verbally express her regret, but Helen stopped her.

"No need, dear. I'm happy to help. Now," she rubbed her hands together. "Let's get you signed in. Name?"

She drew a black for a second, a second she didn't have.

 _'Think Leah, think, think!'_ she thought.

And as quick as lightning, she threw out the first name she could think of.

"Helena!" she burst out, causing the receptionist to look up from her computer in surprise. "Helena...Donovan."

_'Sorry Aunt Catherine, but I'm using your name now!'_

"All right then, Helena." a quick flash of what she thought was a smirk caused her to sweat. God, she knew she was lying.

Leah was normally so good at it; what happened?

Oh yeah, she panicked. To be a good liar you can't panic; it gives everything away in an instance.

Wait, did she even know?

Her face was blank of any emotion that said otherwise. Leah remained suspicious.

"Emergency contact?" Helen asked.

She answered as quickly as she could without giving anything else away, if she even did. "No one."

That caused Helen to look up, confused and a little bit pitiful. "You have no one you can put down? What if you get hurt?"

"Then I get hurt."

And Leah didn't feel anything at her lie. Maybe because it wasn't one; right now she had no one, no one who was human anyway. The purring against her back told her that, as well as being a source of comfort.

"All right..." Helen couldn't keep the pity look off her face, much to Leah's chagrin, as they exchanged the rest of the information.

"There we go!" she looked up and smiled. "You're in! Welcome to F.E.A.S.T, Miss Donovan."

"And you too! Wait, no, I mean...thank you! That's what I meant-Haha..."

Trying to awkwardly leave the situation, Leah began to back up towards the doors leading from the shelter so she could find a nice place for Sena to live temporarily (as all pets except for service animals weren't allowed inside) only to walk straight into the sign on the corner of the reception desk, nearly knocking it over.

"Oh fuck!" she began to turn around.

"I've got it!"

Leah whipped around to come face to face with a teenage boy, who had kept the sign from falling over. From his age-15? 16?-he was most likely a volunteer, and for a moment she felt like she recognized him from somewhere, but it didn't come to her.

"Whoa ma'am, you're either freakishly strong or the screws in this are loose." he joked, straightening the sign. As he did, Leah got a quick glance at the words:

 _In memory of May Parker_  
_and her enduring spirit_  
_"When you help someone, you help everyone."_

Oh Jesus, she had just walked into a memorial stand.

Her cheeks flushed, and she opened her mouth to apologize again but he beat her to it.

"You don't have to apologize, it wasn't your fault." he stick his hand out with a smile. "I'm Miles. I work-well, volunteer-here."

She took a deep breath, reminding herself of her alias, and smiled back. "Helena." she shook his hand. "Helena Donovan."

"Nice to meet you, Helena. So, are you new here? I haven't seen you around before." he let go of her hand and dropped his own.

Leah smiled. What a nice boy.

"Yeah, I've just signed in."

"Well, get ready to taste the best sandwich in Manhattan, no, all of New York! Made by the one and only, Miles Morales." he smiled and placed a hand on his chest.

Leah laughed. "I'm excited already."

"Hey, is everything okay Miles?"

A much older, deeper voice came from the double doors leading to the main hall, and Leah looked over her shoulder. And promptly had a stroke.

While Miles told him that everything was okay and that Leah-or Helena-had just accidentally backed up into the stand and knocked it over, Leah was nearly gaping at Peter like a fish out of water.

Taylor was right; damn he was drop-dead gorgeous.

Peter, holding a few boxes and noticing that the woman known as Helena seemed star-struck by his presence, immediately caught on to something; he didn't know what it was, but something was off with her. She didn't seem to have ulterior motives, it was just...how she looked.

Something didn't seem right. Sure, she had obviously dyed her hair but that wasn't it.

But what did he know?

He hadn't noticed that his mentor and role-model wanted to poison half of New York in a twisted plot of revenge against Norman Osborn.

It could be nothing.

Leah, meanwhile, was too engrossed with the Adonis before her to realize the slight change in body language.

"Oh." Peter smiled. "Well, I'm taking this box to the kitchen. There's more next to the doors, if you can help me with that." he gestured with his head to the boxes next to the main hall doors, and Miles smiled.

"I'll get right on it. Oh, and Helena?"

Leah turned to look at Miles over her shoulder, and noticed the twinkle in his eye. "Yes?"

He leaned forward, close enough that Helen nor Peter wouldn't be able to hear her. "The door to the roof is upstairs; there should be an alcove there that you can make your cat in your bag a nice home."

"Huh? Oh!" her cheeks reddened and she nodded. "Right, thank you."

Peter didn't fail to notice Miles zipping up her backpack a little before Helena began to walk into the main hall, passing him on her way. His senses were hit with what he sensed was red hair dye, chocolate and a little whiff of freshly baked food.

Now he was hungry.

"Well, come on Miles." he grinned at his secret Spider-student. "Put those muscles to good use! We have sandwiches to make!"

Miles snorted and picked up the rest of the boxes as Peter walked into the hall.

He spotted Helena heading to the stairs, and what seemed like a blur of white in her backpack before she was gone. He shook his head and turned towards the direction of the doors leading to the kitchen.

"We? Ha, your sandwiches can't even compare with mine. You should just step back and watch the master at work." Miles joked from behind him.

But as Peter was about to open his mouth to throw a retort back, something caught his gaze. He watched it for a few seconds before it registered. Then his eyes widened.

Peter took a few steps toward the television hanging up on the wall next to the door leading to the kitchen for all the inhabitants to see. On the screen was a breaking news report, and the camera was filming the mess outside of an apartment complex while a reporter's voice was retelling last nights events.

"Hey, could you turn that up?" he asked. A man nodded and jabbed at the 'Vol+' button on the TV before sitting back down.

"Norman Osborn," Peter mumbled under his breath as the news report showed him recounting his plan of action to the public.

"What's going..." Miles paused and listened.

_"With the subsequent attack on this apartment complex and the sudden disappearance of Leah Todd, Sable International has agreed to work closely with the local police to find not only Miss Todd, but the persons who have targeted her."_

His heart skipped. Peter didn't know why at first and his hands twitched.

His forehead creased and he watched as Leah's missing picture showed up on screen.

Or, the missing poster belonging to the red haired, brown eyed woman he had met just moments ago.

At first he noticed that the photo had been edited, photoshopped somehow to hide something.

Her eyes in particular had been altered in the picture, and before the missing poster disappeared he noticed a small part of her green-not brown-irises, minuscule at best, were a bit  _too_  bright.

It was gone before he could peer closer.

_"...Sable International and the many police precincts around all of this city's boroughs are doing everything they can to locate her. But..."_

Norman Osborn deeply frowned at the podium, as if was lost in thought, before he looked at the camera again.

 _"But if Miss Todd or her captors are hearing this message, please, return her to her family and friends._  
_Please, return Leah, she is an outstanding citizen and d-"_

Peter abruptly turned and left the main hall for the kitchen. Once inside and the boxes were placed on the counter, he ran both hands through his hair.

He felt as if the piece of paper he had been given by that man in that alleyway only a month ago was burning a hole in his plaid shirt pocket.

He fumbled about for a moment in an attempt to pull it out, before smoothing the crumpled paper and reading the bolded words until they were ingrained in his brain.

 **L E A H**.

His eyebrows furrowed.

This had just gotten a lot more complex.


	4. From No One to Someone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did make a change to the second and last chapter. For the purpose of the story Leah's age has changed from 21 to 22. There is a reason, I promise.

 

Leah opened the door to the rooftop and stepped back out into New York.

The shelter inhabitants had made a vegetable garden on the roof, so finding a place where Sena could live without giving her ample access to the beds so she could dig up the soil was tricky, but finally she found the alcove Miles mentioned between two walls and the chimney. It wasn't exactly an alcove, but it was a place Sena could stay without being seen.

She placed her backpack down and allowed Sena out of the bag.

The cat took one look at it's surroundings and narrowed her eyes at her owner, with a look that read  _'how dare you put me outside in these conditions'_.

"Sorry, Sena." Leah shrugged. "Best I can do for now."

"Miss Todd, I assume?" the voice caused Leah to spin around and come face to face with the man from downstairs. He was leaning against the wall of the rooftop entrance, a suspicious look on his face. Leah instinctively prepared herself for a fight or flight response.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she lied.

"Sable International and the police precincts around the city are looking for a woman who looks a lot like you. So unless you have a black haired, green eyed twin running around I'm inclined to think you know exactly what I'm talking about."

Her fingers on her left hand twitched. God damn it, he was right!

"Fine." she spat out between clenched teeth. "Yes, I'm Leah Todd. Are you going to bring me in or something?"

He pushed himself of the wall and took a few steps toward her. When she took a step back cautiously he paused.

Right, she didn't trust him. She had no reason too.

"No."

Then, with a raised eyebrow, he held something out for her. Warily, she took a step forward and nearly ripped it out of his hands to hurry back away from him.

"What is this?" she examined it with a confused stare.

"Read it."

She looked down at the piece of paper, and Peter saw both of her eyebrows raise.

"Operation Death? What's-" her breath hitched. "What? That's my...it's spelling my name!"

She looked up and her eyes narrowed. Now it was her time to be suspicious.

"Where did you get this?"

"Four weeks ago, from a man who stole it from his killer and his employers." Peter eyed her. "He was trying to protect you from something, or someone."

She looked back down at the paper, eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched around the paper, crinkling it. Someone had died trying to protect her?

_'Why?'_

None of this was making any sense to her!

"Oscorp." she hissed, to his surprise. "Oscorp and Sable International planted the bombs in my apartment when I was out of the country lecturing. They killed that man because he found out about...about  _this_." she hissed down at the paper, glaring at it like it was scum of the earth.

This 'Operation Death' had ruined her life just like that!

"How are you so sure it's Oscorp?" he asked. "Norman Osborn was on the TV talking about you, he seemed really worried."

Yes, because he wanted her alive and not injured.

Her head shot up. "I saw the bomb made by his company, and watched Sable agents go into my apartment after the bomb and come out empty handed. It was definitely them." she then tilted her head. "What did he say exactly?"

"That someone has targeted you and they are worried for your safety."

"You would think someone who wasn't involved would notice I was missing and assume I was kidnapped, right?"

She had a point. Peter had found it odd that Osborn didn't mention her being kidnapped, just that she was targeted. They didn't know where she was, and yet he had 'assumed' she was still out there and not with whoever had blown up her apartment.

But why did Norman look so...sad?

He placed his hands on his hips, nodding. "All right. Oscorp and Sable are after you. Do you know why?"

"No!" she involuntarily snapped.

Peter understood; it was a stupid question after all.

"I mean," she sighed and ran a hand through her dyed hair. "I'm just a museum curator who regularly visits universities abroad to lecture. That's it; I don't know why they want me. Oscorp is just a robotics company. I have nothing to offer them!"

The distress in her voice caused Peter to feel a surge or worry and pity. This poor woman was as confused as he was.

"If they're after you, you need someone to watch your back."

"Who? Spider-Man?" she joked. He didn't reply; because, well, she was right.

"What can you do?" Leah continued with a shake her head, but from her expression and the lack of a sneer he saw it was more from pity then surprised disgust. "I'll be safer hiding then being protected by someone who can't defend us both."

She turned away from him and began to walk back to the little space she had placed Sena, who seemed more concerned on watching the conversation while laying on her backpack. Peter didn't even notice the cat was there, too invested in taking the two web shooters out of his pocket and attaching them to his bracelets.

"You're lucky I drank all of that." Leah whispered and gave a small smile to Sena. Before she could bend down and shoo the cat of her bag, a wet sticky substance attached itself to her arm, wrapping itself around her wrist. Her head snapped to the side, eyes wide in surprise.

"Ew!" she went to wipe it off, nose crinkled in disgust, until she noticed the white... _thing_  was leading away from her and towards where the man stood. "What the-? Are you fucking serious?"

The man just gave an amused grin, keeping himself from laughing. "Your face is priceless." he couldn't help let out a small laugh.

Which also made her find the situation funny too.

"You're Spider-Man!"

"Shh." he pressed a finger to his lips, a twinkle in his eye. "Don't blow my cover." and with a flick of his wrist, the very strong web pulled her back towards him. She couldn't help but let a yelp escape and he grinned, wrapping his vacant arm around her to keep her from slamming right into him. Almost immediately she whipped around, placing a hand on his chest to create some space.

She felt his chest through his plaid shirt and her cheeks flushed. They were quiet firm, something she had noticed downstairs when they had first met. "Oh whoa, how is your chest like  _that_?"

He ignored her, but the corner of his mouth twitched, trying to suppress a smile.

"The only reason I showed you my secret identity was because for you to trust me, you had to know. If Oscorp and Sable are after you, the only person who can keep you safe is your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man." he grinned. "Besides, if you did allow me to protect you as me, you would have found out about my other identity sooner or later. And you would have kicked my ass."

Without even knowing her that well, he hit the nail on the head. She  _would_  have kicked his ass.

"You have to trust me, I'll protect you from Osborn."

She remained silent, staring at their feet, eyebrows furrowed. He was Spider-Man; he stopped many villains locked in the Raft, found an antidote to the Devil's Breath poison that effected New York last year and then stopped a gang war. If she had Spider-Man on her side, he could find out what is happening.

Leah finally looked up at him; chocolate meeting maple. However, Peter could see a small green circles around the irises, hiding her true eye colour, but there was still something bugging him about it. He just couldn't tell what it was. "And we can find out what he wants from me. Together."

She stepped back and held out a hand. She wanted a handshake, to seal the deal. The two would work together and find out what Oscorp's (and Sable International) intentions were.

He smiled and took the hand, shaking it in return.

The sun was just coming up over the horizon (it was November after all, and nights fell earlier and the sun rose later) and it bathed everything in rays of yellow and orange. It bounced of her hair, revealing the small strands of blonde, brown and her natural black mixed in with the more dominant red. Before, when the sun hadn't quite reached them, it looked fully red and, from the picture, pure black. But there it was, clear as day, that there was at least some colour in her hair, only brought out in the bright sun.

Did she know or not?

Then out of his eye he caught something, over her shoulder.

He paused.

"Is that...is that a cat?"

"Huh? Oh!" she looked behind her at Sena, who had gotten up from laying on her backpack and was coming towards them. "Yeah, that's my cat Sena. What? I wasn't going to leave her back there!"

Sena passed her owner and went up to Peter, meowing and rubbing herself against his leg. He chuckled and looked back at her owner, who was now staring at their hands, still holding onto one another.

"Oh!" she let go. "Sorry!"

"It's okay." he rubbed the back of his head. Now, to the next problem. "Sena can't stay here."

Leah looked down at the ground sheepishly. "I know. I'm sorry, I just don't know where to take-"

"I meant outside." he interrupted. "She's a house-cat?"

Leah nodded.

"Then she can stay inside. We'll put the both of you in my Aunt's old office, that way no one will recognize you in the hall." he turned around to walk to the rooftop entrance, and she hurried to grab her backpack and pick her cat to follow, her spare hand still clutching the piece of paper.

"Your Aunt was May Parker?" she said when she had caught up to him, walking down the stairs after shutting the door behind her. "I saw the memorial when I came in-"

"Well, I would say you knocked it over."

"I saw the memorial when I came in-" she pressed and Peter chuckled. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"No need to apologize or say sorry; you didn't poison half of Manhattan." he stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. "Did you?" he joked.

"No! No." she shook her head. "I was in Times Square when it was released though."

"Did you-?" he asked again, but this time meaning it quite differently.

She shook her head.

"No, I didn't, thank God. My friends weren't too lucky; they survived though, thanks to you." she smiled sincerely. "Thank you."

He smiled in return, but it didn't quite reach his eyes like all the other times. "You're welcome."

The two walked in silence until they reached May's old office. It was still full of her stuff, and it was kind of Peter's office now as he used it more often, but the people of the center still called it 'May's office' and he would like to keep it that way.

He opened the door and stepped aside to let her in first. Sena immediately jumped down and headed straight for the sofa, which she laid on and immediately fell asleep.

Leah, however, took a quick look around, noticing that-adorably-there was a cork board full of drawings done by children, or a child, hanging behind the desk. She looked at Peter, gesturing to the drawings as if asking if he had created them, and he shrugged with a chuckle.

She continued to look around as he pulled out a blanket from behind the sofa and placed it, folded up, on the end as so as not to disturb Sena.

"I'm sorry about before." Leah abruptly turned around, clasping her hands together. Peter straightened up, staring at her. "I'm much more nicer then that, it's just..." she struggled to find the right words.

Why, out of all times, did she have to completely forget the English language?

"I get it." she looked at him. "You're being targeted by two companies, one run by the mayor, and you don't know or understand why. You deserve to be angry."

She shook her head. "I'm not angry, I'm just...confused, on edge. I don't know who to trust anymore."

"No one? No one at all?" he wondered. Did she really have no one to relay on?

She looked down and played with her fingers. "Well, I have my Aunt Catherine and the friends I've mentioned before, but I didn't want to impose or drag them into anything dangerous."

"But you're fine with me being pulled into this mess?" he joked with a smile.

"You're Spider-Man, being in dangerous situations is a daily occurrence for you." she laughed. "Anyway, I do trust them, I just care about their safety more."

She sighed and swung her arms back and forth, her hand subconsciously tightening around the paper, like it was reminding her it was there. Her eyes widened and she looked at it again.

"This paper is from a document." she said out of the blue.

Peter nodded. "I know that."

"The top of a piece of paper though, you see the lines there?" she pointed at the bottom of the paper and when Peter and Leah stepped closer together so he could take a closer look at what he had missed, he saw that she was right. There were lines, a word from how close they were too one another, that had the other half down missing from the place it had been torn. It still didn't reveal the words, though, and they had to take guesses.

"That could be an L, and the one next to it an E." he pointed at them.

"Leah, maybe?"

"No, I don't think so. The next line is similar to the first, another L?"

"Okay, but look at the two before it. That's a circle, and the other one is...well, a one. 01?" she suggested, and the two looked at each other. Could it be instructions? Or a location?

"01, a word, then another word. You can see the gap, big enough for punctuation." he was right. Two words then.

Then, to her horror, she had a thought.

"What if...I'm not the only one they're after?" she stared at him, eyes wide. "Two words; a first and surname."

"If that's true, then we need to find the other person he's after." Peter said.

"I don't think it's just one though; if that  _is_  an 01, then there's definitely more targets." she shivered.

_'I could be only one of many that Oscorp wants.'_

"Are you sure you don't know why Osborn is after you? Any reason at all?"

She pursed her lips, debating with herself. Should she tell him about her language abilities? Her true eye colour?

And if she did, was it actually the reason Oscorp wanted her? Her ability to understand all languages was kept a closely guarded secret, only known by her aunt, her three friends and her childhood tutors. Would they, any of them, sell her out?

"No, not at all." she lied.

She could tell he believed her immediately; she was good at lying after all.

"We'll have to get access to Osborn's office at Oscorp. The balcony, ever walked past the building?"

Leah nodded.

It had definitely creeped her out every time she had to walk past; why had someone designed it to be fully black? The only light that came off it was the white neon sign, that made it extra spooky. After the antenna was destroyed last year, the roof had been replaced with a glass dome, with a much smaller antenna in the center. It was always covered by metal curtains that had the ability to open and close so no one in a plane or climbing the building could see inside.

Which was strange in her book.

"We can go tomorrow night and look around, see if we can find anymore information about Operation Death."

"And if we're lucky, the rest of that document." she added and he nodded. The two stared at each other in silence before a rumbling sound filled the room. Both of them looked down at the source of the sound.

Peter raised an eyebrow.

Leah blushed.

She had completely forgotten to eat the bagel she had bought early that morning.

"Have you had anything to eat today?" he asked.

"No, but I have a bagel in my bag." she stepped around him and took of her backpack, placing it on the sofa and opening it to find her food. Instead, she pulled out the paper bag that was supposed to be holding the bagel. It seemed the sealed bag had a chewed out hole.

"Actually..." she glared down at Sena, now seeing the evidence of her crime on her nose. "I don't have a bagel in my bag."

"Miles is in the kitchen making some sandwiches, I'll go and get you one. I hope you like lettuce and ham." he backed off to the door of the office.

She nodded and he clapped his hands together. "Great, I'll bring it up then I'm off. See you soon?"

"See you soon."

He opened the door and went to leave.

"Wait a minute!" he stopped before he could close the door. "You know my name but I don't know yours."

He smiled back at her. "Peter. Peter Parker."

And then shut the door.

Leah smiled after him then glared back down at Sena.

"You ate it on purpose."

The sleeping kitty just rolled over in response.

* * *

_8:21 p.m._

 

Leah was beyond tired, but she couldn't sleep.

All she could think about was that she may not be the only one Oscorp was after.

There could be more people he wanted for something. Or, he already had them.

That thought really didn't comfort her at all.

She wanted to go to Osborn's office and search the place now; find out what he was doing, what he needed her for. But she needed Peter to get access. If she just walked through the front door then she was just handing herself over on a silver platter. Peter could get her to the balcony undetected and out of there before they could be spotted.

And they were partners now. They had to do everything together.

Well, he would do the fighting and climbing and she could do...anything else.

She wished she had some chocolate with her right now.

She hadn't noticed she had began to drift off, until she couldn't hear anything.

She was finally asleep and dreaming about being thirteen years old again.

Her hair was in two braids and when she rubbed her eyes; she was in a completely different room.

But, something was...off.

The room was completely made out of metal; no windows, and two single doors on opposite sides of one another. She was stood in the middle of the room, and in front of her was a table. Aside it was a heart monitor and a drip, and waiting for her were a group of people in lab coats.

She turned her head and caught sight of a single full body mirror against the wall, but when she looked at her reflection she was caught with surprise.

She wasn't Leah.

She was-

_"Lera? Lera!"_

_"Huh, w-what?" she blinked up at a tall man who had his hand on her back, nudging her towards the people wearing lab coats. Leah felt immediate suspicion of the stranger, but her body language told her differently. She was comfortable and trusted this man completely, but right now..._

_"I've been calling your name for the last minute."_

_"Y-You told me you were going to take me to my sisters. W-Where are they?" Leah's voice was high and didn't really sound like her._

_"Don't worry, dear. You'll see them very soon, like I promised. Now, go to the nice men and women."_

_"But why?!"_

_"Lera, do as I say."_

_"I don't want to! Where's Ana and Lia and Lulu and-"_

_"You will see them soon, sweet. I promise. Now off you go."_

_He pushed her forward, and before she could take a few steps back from the strange people, one of them reached out and grabbed one of her arms, both which she had kept close to her chest as a form of comfort like she always had done since she was small._

_"NO!" her screech caused them all to jump and before she knew it two more had grabbed her._

_She thrashed and struggled, screaming._

_"NO! NO! NO!" she let out a strangled sob as one of the scientists stepped forward and injected something into her arm as she tried to kick and bite another one._

_"I want my sisters! I want my sisters..." the thrashing began to slow down and they lifted her up and onto the table, laying her down. "No, n-...no..."_

_She sniffled and sobbed again, her eyes drooping closed as the anesthetic kicked in._

_As she drifted off into sleep, she could faintly hear the voice of the man say something._

_"There are six more coming your way; do what you need to do with this one then put her with the others."_

_"No..."_

Her eyes flew open. She let out a terrified gasp.

Well, that was new.

She usually dreamed of being a samurai warrior in Edo period Japan or walking around the once-beautiful buildings and cities of Ancient Greece and Italy or even exploring the streets of London during the Victorian era. She had even met Queen Victoria personally!

A few ones she very much enjoyed. There were plenty of course, she dreamed of many periods of time all around the world. It was what got her into being a museum curator and a degree in history in the first place.

But this was in modern times.

She never dreamed of anything before 1995.

She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. She had been asleep nearly two hours, regardless if it felt like five minutes.

Leah sat up and got out of bed.

The lamp on the desk was the only light in the room, and Sena had fallen asleep for a second time that day, curled up on the desk chair. The blinds of the window were down, keeping anyone from looking inside, and the door was closed.

It felt a little creepy after that weird dream.

Her stomach decided to take that moment to grumble.

She could go down into the kitchen and see if they had anything for her to eat. Most of the inhabitants were asleep, so she wouldn't walk into anyone.

With that, she left the office, taking her jacket on the way past to keep out the cold-except for her shoes she had slept with all of her clothes on, because she didn't have anything else-and making her way down stairs after closing the office door behind her.

The hallways were empty, except as she got closer to the kitchen she could hear the faint sounds of the TV. Meaning someone was awake.

As she got closer and into the kitchen she took a detour from her destination, the fridge, and poked her head out of the door into the main hall to see who was awake.

Quite a few of them were awake, all staring at the TV with different expressions of distress and alarm. Someone was nearly in tears.

Curious, she took a few steps into the hall and glanced at the screen.

Her eyes widened.

It was on the news, and a reporter was standing outside of the Raft. Helicopters were circling the prison and police cars were parked outside of the gates. Leah caught sight of the familiar red, white and blue of Peter's suit as he talked frantically with one of the officers, most likely a detective from her clothing.

 **BREAKING NEWS**  
  
_'We are currently outside of the Raft, where reports are coming out that at least four of the prisoners, all considered high risk individuals, have escaped. There are no signs of a break in or break out similar to last years incident, and there are searches underway for the missing prisoners. We have, moments ago, just received news that the four prisoners currently confirmed to have disappeared, are, as the public knows of them; Mysterio, the Lizard, Shocker and Chameleon."_

Five photos, mug shots, from their time in the Raft covered the screen. Leah felt a chill crawl up her spine.

Why now, of all the moments this could happen? Was it connected?

Had Oscorp got something to do with it, like they did with her?

_"Authorities are unsure of how they escaped, but police are urging people to be cautious around the city and to call 911 if they sight any of these highly dangerous prisoners. We are keeping close watch and our ears open for any more information, including the real identities of these menaces. This is-"_

She blocked it out, because she only had one person on her mind. One person who was in danger. Someone who she had only met that morning yet had to trust with her life.

"Peter..."

Across the city, watching the chaos across the bay, was a green and purple figure, crouched in the shadows of a rooftop building.

The Green Goblin smiled, showing a full row of sharp purely white teeth.


	5. Enter the Green Goblin

_20 minutes earlier_

Peter landed on the top of a police car, missing the flashing red and blue lights as he did so, coming face to face with a panicking Captain Yuri Watanabe.

It was clear she was trying to keep her composure as she ordered officers about, but the constant hand movement through her hair and the huffs she occasionally let out told him that she was clearly under a lot of stress.

"Is it just the Raft or Rykers too?" he asked, catching Yuri's attention.

"Just the Raft." she looked at him worried, hands now on her hips. "It's not like last year. Rykers didn't even _know_  about it until we got here, and-" she let out a deep breath, almost in shock about her next words. Peter narrowed his eyes in concern behind his mask.

"And?" she didn't reply quick enough for his taste apparently, either still thinking about what she was going to say next or that she still didn't know  _what_  to say. How to break the news to him.

_"Yuri!"_

His shout wasn't necessarily loud, but it's sharpness caused her to breath out what she had been wanting to say to him. "They're not here. Mysterio, The Lizard, Chameleon even the Shocker. They're gone, not in their cells. Completely vanished. It's like...It's like they were never in the Raft to begin with." she wasn't even talking in complete sentences like her usually professional self did, which worried him even more then the news.

"And the others?"

"Where they should be; I have some of my men watching them." she answered. "There are a few others in the security room, I'm heading there now to check the security cameras."

Her words must have reminded the rest of her brain of her mission as she began a confidant march to an armored car to take her through Rykers courtyard to the Raft. Peter followed, jumping from vehicle to vehicle and landing on the side of the one Yuri was climbing into. She started the engine and tore through the open gates of the prison, passing officers from the precinct and into the courtyard.

"Is there anything in their cells?" Peter asked her through the open window.

"No, that's what's strange about all this." she sighed. "There's nothing in their cells to even point us in their direction, or that any of them planned this escape beforehand."

He held on as Yuri took a swift turn. "What about their behavior before tonight?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary from what we can tell. It's like the opportunity just appeared out of thin air." she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "And it's pissing me off."

Peter pursed his lips, silent as Yuri parked the car and left, heading straight for the doors to the Raft. The security room was right next to the entrance, so they didn't have to go through the vast corridors of cells holding prisoners too dangerous to be in Rykers.

He could hear the shouting and calls from here, and he was not looking forward to walking past them to get to the four cells they wanted. He wasn't sure he had the proper comebacks ready!

"Spider-Man, this is the warden, John Walker." Yuri introduced him to a tall blonde man who didn't look like he even was someone fit to be a warden of a super-villain prison, but hey, Peter wasn't judging. He didn't look like your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man behind the mask. "John, Spider-Man."

"Spider-Man, it's an honour." he took the offered hand and shook it.

"What are we looking at warden?" Walker ushered them to the computers showing the security camera feed, all reversed to show the exact moment each of the four prisoners escaped.

"Each of them escaped the same way; the doors open, they stand up and leave before the cameras all shut off. Then we see them later on another set leave together through a back entrance usually used for staff, god knows how they knew it was there." he started the tapes and both he and Yuri leaned forward to watch.

All four of them, sat in their orange jumpsuits, were in their cells either lying in bed or reading a book they had borrowed from Rykers' library. Then the doors open, and Peter watched as they all got up in their different ways. Then stopped.

"Look." Yuri whispered, noticing what he had. "They all look confused. This definitely wasn't planned."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Yuri nodded, her face pinched. "They must have had outside help."

"You think someone in my staff helped them?" Walker seemed shocked at such a revelation like it wasn't that obvious of a thought.

"That's exactly what we think." Yuri straightened and crossed her arms, glaring at him. "I want your entire staff team who have access to the Raft gathered and encountered for; prepare them for interrogations. Someone helped them escape, Warden. Spider-Man," she turned to Peter. "You think you can follow their tracks and determine where they went?"

"I can try." he rubbed the back of his neck. "Where are their cells?"

"I'll have someone lead you there." he walked to the door and looked out. "Aarons! Lead Spider-Man to the prisoners cells! Captain Watanabe," he turned to Yuri. "Shall I have the staff brought to the precinct or-?"

She rubbed her temple and sighed. "No, empty out a room for us to interrogate them." she opened her eyes. "Go, Warden."

Walker saluted and scurried off at the urgency at his voice.

Aarons, stood at the door, waiting for Peter to finish in the security room so he could lead him to the cells.

Peter sent him a nod then turned to Yuri. "You don't think this has something to do with the explosion that happened yesterday?" he whispered so the guard wouldn't hear.

"The explosion in Queens?" she raised an eyebrow. "It's possible, why?"

"The bomb that destroyed that apartment building was made by Oscorp, and Sable was pretty quick to arrive at the scene." he didn't know why he was telling her this. It could be nothing, but Yuri was the Captain of the NYPD, and if she could help cover Leah's tracks until they sorted this all out then she needed to know. "And now this?"

"How do you know-you think this is tied to Leah Todd's disappearance?" she asked, surprised. Then, with one look, it vanished. "You know where she is don't you?"

"Yes, and no I'm not telling you. She's frightened, Yuri, and has nowhere to go. She's convinced Oscorp is the one after her, and because Osborn is the mayor and owns the company...you can see why she's hiding."

"But Oscorp is a robotics company and Miss Todd is a curator. Two completely different jobs in the scheme of things; why would Osborn be after her?"

"I don't know. Yet, but we think he or whoever planted that bomb has or is after more people."

She sighed. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure of it. Listen, if this break out isn't tied to Leah and Osborn, then I won't ask but if it is; I need you to keep him off our backs until it's safe." when she went to open her mouth in protest he interrupted. "Yuri." he sounded desperate, but he was.

She clenched her fists and grit her teeth. "Fine." she concluded as Peter fist bumped the air. "But you have a week; it  _is_  the mayor we're talking about here."

"Deal."

"Good." she placed her hands on her hips. "Now, about those cells?"

"Oh, right!" he began to back out, hands in front of him in mock surrender, and a smirk came on his face the minute she realized what he was about to say. "Don't you worry, Spider-Cop's on the case."

"Good god." she muttered but he had already left to follow the guard before she could say anything that his ears could catch.

It didn't matter anyway, no matter what she said or did; Spider-Cop was real and Yuri couldn't take that away from him.

The guard did not say a word as he led Peter to the section the four cells were. Luckily, they were in close proximity to each other. Unfortunately, that probably helped them in the long run.

As they walked, he wondered where Otto was in the Raft. He still hadn't quite forgiven him for everything. Well, actually, he blamed himself for the Devil's Breath incident. If he had just tried harder to make him understand...but he didn't. A rational part of his brain told him he wasn't at fault for Otto's actions, but it still helped to blame himself rather then the doctor.

"Here's Chameleon's cell." Aarons said, pulling to a stop. "Next to it is the Lizard's, the other two are a few down."

"Right, thanks." he entered the already open cell that had once belonged to Dmitri Smerdyakov. Except for a metal bed and a toilet, there was nothing in there to tell Peter where he had gone. Like he had thought; this wasn't planned.

But leaving behind a clue was.

"Mr. Spider-Man, sir?" another guard, much to the chagrin of Aarons, appeared at the cell door.

"What's wrong?" he turned to look at him.

His next line was vague. "There's something you should see."

He left quickly, and Peter followed fast behind. Entering what once had been Mysterio's cell, he didn't see anything at first. It was suspiciously clean like the other cell, until the guard pointed at something on the bed.

Even Peter was confused. At first.

"It's strange. The prisoners don't have access to anything but books; so god knows how he got a hold of it."

The guard kept talking, but Peter kept ignoring him to stare at the small speckles of sand on the duvet. There wasn't enough to notice at first glance, but there was enough to identify it at close range.

For all he knew it could be random specks of sand, which was most likely, but even he wasn't so sure.

"I've got to go." he began to back out of the cell. "Tell Captain Watanabe!"

He pivoted on his heels and rushed out, leaving the two guards to stand there alone in the dust, watching him go in confusion. Peter didn't stop running until he was outside, passing a surprised Yuri as she was outside the Raft talking to an officer, most likely ordering him to be apart of the interrogations.

Without stopping to tell her where he was going, he used his web shooters to pull him up the side of the building to the roof so he could stare out towards the city. Through the buildings, he could see the Avengers tower in the distance.

It was closer then he had thought, but now he wondered why he had webbed his backpack so far away, especially holding such a valuable thing-or, person. He still didn't know if the Sandman could come back just from that vial.

But if that sand left on the bed was any indication, then someone was about to try.

He dived off the Raft, eyes narrowed with determination as with the last few feet, he zipped up into the air and away from Rykers and into the city with all the confidence he had built over the years of being Spider-Man.

The wind rushed past as he flew over honking cars and past buildings lit from the inside. Past neon signs of shops and the shouts and yells of citizens that filled the New York City night.

The giant neon red and white 'A' of the Avengers tower grew closer and closer with each swing. He shouldn't have put the vial back.

Why did he put the vial back?

Because of how high it was, he couldn't swing directly to the place on the white building he had stuck one of the many backpacks he had received from that science fair so many years ago. Instead he ran up the side before crawling the rest of the way.

The backpack, at first glance, did not seem to be opened nor did it have a hole in it the right size so a small vial of sand could be pulled out. Instead, Peter zipped it open and looked at the contents inside.

Alone, sitting at the bottom of his back, was the very thing he had feared had been taken.

"What-?" taking it, he rolled it between his fingers, inspecting it from all angles. It didn't seem to be a fake, and it was tightly sealed like he had made sure of. So if it wasn't this the small pile of sand was referring too, what was it?

Or maybe that sand just so happened to be there and it meant nothing to the investigation.

"Damn it! It could have been a set-up!" he cursed. How could he have been so-?

His eyes widened.

Then he flipped backwards off the building as a smoke bomb exploded where he had once been, sending the now free backpack to fall off the tower down onto the street below.

Peter landed back on the tower a few paces from where the bomb had went off, turning to look over his shoulder. "What the-?"

A cackle he could only describe as 'almost-a-lunatic' came from a masked man standing on top of a-wait, was what a hover-board?

"Cool man, how did you pull that off?" he gestured to it, tilting his head to the side. "Does that even work properly? We need to talk about designs after this is done."

"Enough questions, Spider-Man." the voice was definitely masked, he noticed immediately, giving the new contender in this game a robotic tone. It instantly reminded him of the old 1990s cartoon villains on TV. "Give me the vial."

"What? This?" he held up the vial that he had been tightly holding onto. "Why? Want to add another villain to your growing collection?"

"You do not know what you're talking about." he replied.

"Oh I think you do." the black and white eyes that symbolized Peter's own narrowed. "What do you want with them?"

"Nothing that will destroy or harm this city." he tried to reassure, but the voice and the fact he not only threw a bomb at him but also released and is hiding three dangerous villains somewhere in New York was not helping sway Peter's mind. "Now, give me the vial."

"If you want it so much, answer me this; who are you?"

His reply was instantaneous.

" **I**  am the Green Goblin."

Any fearful or awed impression he was wanting out of Peter's mouth or on his mask did not come out of him, instead the hero decided to lock onto his given title. "Oh, cool. You do look like one."

"My patience is wearing thin, bug." now that hurt his feelings. "Give me the vial."

"Hmm let me think about it...no."

And he dropped it, sending it hurling to the concrete below.

"No!"

As the person who called themselves the Green Goblin dived down to catch it, so did Peter. Arms and legs clasped tightly together, his knowledge in physics and not using a hover board gave him the advantage, and his eyes narrowed as he dived faster and faster, coming closer and closer to the ground with each passing second.

Peter caught it within inches from the ground, swinging out of reach as the 'Goblin' let out a scream of rage.

"I tried to be kind, spider, but even I have my limits!" and he dived forward, catching Peter unawares and sending him slamming into a brick building. He cried out, his grip tightening on the vial.

He shook his head, coming to his senses just in time to dodge another bomb. Citizens down on the street all stopped, looking up and pointing up at the sky. Some even shouted positive reinforcement up at him, which fueled his fight (and ego). He leaped from the wall, careening into his attacker and sending both of his feet into his stomach and his body into the wall.

He let out a gargled cry of pain, and to Peter's surprise the hover-board did not fall of his feet. Oh, they so had to talk details after this.

The Green Goblin roared and threw an arm out.

Peter moved his own arm, thinking he was going for his hand.

And instead had a bone crushing hold on his head.

He let out a yell, both hands going to his wrist to pull it off. It did not occur to him to only use one hand so his other could keep a hold of the vial, or that he had let go of said-vial and it began to drop to the floor. It could smash, and either release the Sandman or leave sand on the street. He didn't know, but he inclined to believe the former.

The next thing he knew, as his mind caught up to him and the missing vial in his hand, that he was now soaring through the air and crashing into a brick building. Coincidentally, the same one he had originally slammed into.

As he got his bearings for the second time, the Goblin dived down and caught the vial, holding tightly in a purple-gloved hand.

"You must understand, this is for your own good Spider." he seemed sad, mournful even, before taking off leaving a cloud of smoke from his hover-board in his trace. Peter zipped after him, but somehow lost him three blocks later.

Fuck. fuck, crap, shit.

He got away with the Sandman, and with the four other super-max prisoners he assumed he had also help escape.

"No..." he landed on a rooftop, staring out into the city. He had failed, failed the city. And had failed her.

Both incidents to be linked somehow, but with an anonymous new villain and an oblivious woman in the middle, he had no idea  _how_.

And that pissed him off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not know how to write the Green Goblin la la la he will get less unsympathetic and more creepier for Peter soon tra la la!


End file.
